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Orik
Orik was a male dwarf, the son of Thrifk and of Hrothgar's youngest sister, later being adopted by Hrothgar himself. He was a member of the Dûrgrimst Ingeitum (clan of smiths), an ally (and foster brother) of Eragon and at the time of the Rider War the 43rd king of the dwarf clans. As king, he was the wielder of Volund. Biography Early history Orik was born to Hrothgar's youngest sister and Thrifk. They both died of pox when Orik was young, so Hrothgar adopted him and made him his heir. Orik got into trouble a few times when he was young and was sent to the Forest of Stone as punishment. He spent little time there however and ran off. Later, he killed a Nagra to appease Hrothgar in hopes that Hrothgar would forgive Orik's previous transgressions. Prelude and Battle of Tronjheim Orik was the first to discover the dragon Saphira, her rider Eragon and Murtagh (son of Morzan), who were trying to find the Varden to save the dying elf Arya. He pulled Eragon out of the waterfall, which hid the Varden's secret base. He then watched as the Twins invaded Eragon's mind to discover his true intentions, but interrupted them when he saw the pain that they caused Eragon. His intrusion was dealt with by Ajihad, leader of the Varden, who sent him over to Hrothgar to learn of his punishment. Orik's punishment was not so severe, as he acted as a host for Eragon and Saphira in Tronjheim. In fact, it was like a promotion because he actually enjoyed showing Eragon and Saphira around. He was among the many dwarves who would fight the the battle against Durza the Shade and his army of Urgals who attacked the Varden. Among the elves "In the interest of fairness", King Hrothgar sent Orik to accompany Eragon to Ellesméra, the elven capital, where Eragon would continue his training as a Dragon Rider. Eragon's first reaction to this was irritation, as it meant the journey would have to be made over land, rather than on Saphira's back. However, he later acknowledges Hrothgar's plan as a wise one, realizing that it is important to maintain equality between the different races with which he and Saphira would be dealing. Orik was one of the few to meet Oromis, a crippled Dragon Rider elf: Orik questioned Oromis' absence from the war against Galbatorix, but later understood that it was due to the elf's crippled state. During Eragon's training, Orik remained in the background, coping with the tension between the elves and himself and playing games of Runes. By the end of Eragon's time in Ellesméra, Orik and the elves became more tolerant of each other: Orik even submitted a piece to the Blood-Oath Celebration, a traditional elvish ceremony commemorating the pact between the elves and dragons. Battle of the Burning Plains Because of the need for haste when Eragon decided to return to Surda after learning of Galbatorix's planned attack against the Varden, Orik was forced to ride on Saphira to the Varden, thus making him the only known dwarf to have ridden on a dragon. During the flight, he exchanged riddles with Saphira. Orik joined the dwarves under Hrothgar in the battle against Galbatorix's forces at the Burning Plains. He took charge of the dwarf sappers of the Ingeitum clan. In the battle, he and other dwarves under his command fought alongside Eragon and Saphira, guarding their flank. When Murtagh, Galbatorix's new servant and Rider, slew Hrothgar, Orik traveled back to Tronjheim after the battle to elect the new dwarven king. Election as king During Eragon's first stay in Ellesméra, Orik became drunk off of an elvish drink called Faelnirv and disclosed to Eragon that he was promised in marriage to the dwarf maiden Hvedra. He said that Hvedra was the fairest maiden he had ever seen. Hvedra was of his clan: daughter of Himinglada and Thorgerd One-eye: she was Hrothgar's great-niece, being granddaughter of his sister, Vardrûn. After the Battle of the Burning Plains, by the time Eragon made it back to the Beor Mountains to observe the dwarven election, Orik and Hvedra were married. Eragon was sent by Nasuada to give favor for a king who would support the Varden's cause, whether or not it be Orik. Orik warmly received his foster brother and also promised him that - in the event that he saw his own election to the throne in jeopardy - he would place his vote on another dwarf who had the well being of the Varden in mind. During his stay, Eragon survived an assassination attempt on his life by the Dûrgrimst Az Sweldn rak Anhûin, a dwarf clan who hated the Riders. Orik was able to use Eragon's presence and the assassination attempt to gain enough votes to elect him as king, as well as to banish the Az Sweldn rak Anhûin. His first act was to pool all resources into helping the Varden. Personality Orik was kind, loyal, likable, and level-headed, ideal traits for becoming King. He was characterized by his desire for the Dwarves to contribute to the war against Galbatorix instead of hiding in their cities waiting to be attacked. He also questioned Oromis for not fighting, though he understood his crippled state. Orik came off a little rough, but is a very cultured man, able to appreciate the finer points of poetry, smithing, carving, and history. This was seen in his interactions with the elven smith, Rhunon, who invited Orik to discuss her work. He was quite excited to learn that she had been taught and educated in her craft by an ancient member of his clan, showing his love of his people and culture's impact far beyond his homeland. Orik was also a shrewd tactician and statesman, able to formulate a plan to bring Vermund's treachery and crimes against their kingdom and Eragon to light during the process of choosing the next Dwarf monarch. Orik played his strategy close to the chest, playing Eragon's diplomatic status and importance beyond his relation as a member of Durgrimst Ingeitum against the leader of Durgrimst Az Sweldn rak Anhuin and rendering Vermund forever clanless. This displays that despite his seemingly straightforward and honest demeanor, that Orik w as a cunning leader and not someone to trifle with regarding the laws of his homeland, especially when far more than his kingdom is at stake. Behind the scenes Orik's role in the film is completely omitted. The only main dwarf in the Eragon movie was Hrothgar, the dwarf king. The film gives Hrothgar all Orik's scenes. de:Orik es:Orik fr:Orik it:Orik nl:Orik pl:Orik ru:Орик Category:Characters Category:Dwarves Category:Varden Category:Royalty Category:Males